News Releases

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins, champions of the Midwest Division and a No. 3 seed in the Calder Cup Playoffs, will face the sixth-seeded Houston Aeros in the best-of-five Western Conference Quarterfinals.

The Griffins (42-26-4-4, 92 pts.), who are in the postseason for the first time since 2009, will begin their chase for the cup by visiting the Toyota Center for Games 1 and 2 on Friday, April 26 and Sunday, April 28, before returning to Van Andel Arena on Wed., May 1 for the first of as many as three straight home games. The complete schedule is as follows:

* If necessary All times Eastern and subject to change. All games on Newsradio WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM.

Tickets for home Game A (series Game 3), which are included in Griffins full season ticket packages, are now on sale for $33, $27, $23, $19, $17 and $15 (additional $2 per ticket on day of game), reflecting a league-wide increase of $1 over regular season prices. Playoff tickets may be purchased in person at The Zone at Van Andel Arena and all Star Tickets locations, by phone at (800) 585-3737, or through griffinshockey.com.

In celebration of the team’s return to the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Griffins are adapting their popular Friday promotion and will offer $2 beers and $2 hot dogs for all home playoff games, including Fridays, from the time doors open until one hour after the start of the game. In addition, the first 4,000 fans for Game 3 will receive a Griffins playoff poster, while the first 2,500 will receive a playoff rally towel courtesy of Auto Value Parts Stores.

This will mark the second Calder Cup Playoff meeting between Grand Rapids and Houston, following the Aeros' triumph in the 2003 Western Conference Finals. In that memorable seven-game series, the Griffins won Games 5 and 6 in overtime before falling at home in Game 7 to a Houston team that went on to win the Calder Cup.

The Griffins and Aeros (40-26-5-5, 90 pts.) met six times this season, with Grand Rapids winning the series 4-2 (1-2 at Van Andel Arena and 3-0 at the Toyota Center). Grand Rapids won each of the last three clashes, including a 5-1 win in Houston on April 2.